Labor's Dick Adams concedes defeat in the sprawling seat of Lyons

Tasmanian Labor stalwart Dick Adams has conceded defeat, admitting he has lost the sprawling rural seat of Lyons.

Dick Adams has held Lyons for Labor for the past 20 years.

"There's still a few votes to count but the chance is only about 10 per cent, I don't think that's going to happen so yeah, we've lost Lyons to the Liberal Party," he said.

The Labor veteran says the Tasmanian forest peace deal, the unpopularity of the state Labor-Greens government and leadership changes within Federal Labor are behind his demise.

Lyons was considered the safest seat in Tasmania before yesterday's election.

9000 voters moved their support from Labor to the Liberals.

Liberal challenger Eric Hutchinson has won 45 per cent of the primary vote counted so far.

Labor seat

Lyons was a safe labor seat at a 12.3 per cent margin.

It was won by Mr Adams in 1993 the backlash against the new state Liberal government and the Federal Liberal Party's Fightback! policy seeing Labor win four of the state's five electorates.

Mr Adams was only narrowly re-elected on the defeat of the Keating government in 1996, also had a close shave in 2004 in a backlash against Mark Latham's forest policy, but at other elections has been easily re-elected.

He has spoken out against the state Labor-Greens minority government and the forestry peace deal, which was designed to end the years of bitter conflict in the state's forests.

Successful Liberal candidate Eric Hutchinson has worked for a rural and real estate business.

He was the Liberal candidate in this seat at the 2010 federal election.